Jenny Walty
Brooklyn, New York.Friday, September 23, 2005
I've been considering possible topics to document in a new sculptural project and keep coming back to the fascism of our government as a structural idea that would be easy to illustrate. The following is excerpted from digby:
"Bush's government represents an odd melding of corporatism and cronyism, more in tune with the workings of 1930s Italy or Spain. In fact, if one looks at fascist regimes of the 20th century, it is appears that the Bush administration draws more from these sources than traditional conservatism. Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
(Source: The Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism, Dr. Lawrence Britt, Spring 2003, Free Inquiry)"
Seems like a possible structure I could use...
"Bush's government represents an odd melding of corporatism and cronyism, more in tune with the workings of 1930s Italy or Spain. In fact, if one looks at fascist regimes of the 20th century, it is appears that the Bush administration draws more from these sources than traditional conservatism. Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
(Source: The Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism, Dr. Lawrence Britt, Spring 2003, Free Inquiry)"
Seems like a possible structure I could use...
After reading Project Censored Top 25 stories censored by the mainstream press in 2005, I am so disgusted, not to mention appalled and terrified, that my next project will be researching immigration laws in NZ.
It's morning in NZ ...
It's morning in NZ ...
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
I guess it's nice that a few Dems have announced they will vote no to Judge Roberts nomination as the Chief Justice to the Supreme Court... but I'm afraid nice is not enough. While these few have fulfilled their duty to thouroughly examine candidates, the rest just don't have the stomach or the backbone to do their job.
With only 2 years experience on the bench, Roberts is not qualified to sit on the highest bench in the country, in the highest seat no less. He has also not been forthright in confirmation hearings, evading question after question. He is a crony appointment, like so many others by the Bush administration, to so much detriment. I think Liza says it best on behalf of feminist bloggers:
"The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court must be a seasoned judge with a record that can be openly and completely examined. The White House's refusal to release all documents pertaining to the nominee is further cause for extreme caution in this matter. Those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing. This choice will affect the lives of all Americans for decades to come. We must have transparency in the process, and it must be rigorous and thorough.
We oppose the nomination of John Roberts, and ask that our Congressional representatives stand firm in insisting that the people chosen to fill the two vacancies on the Supreme Court of the United States of America be people on whom we can rely to uphold the ideals that make us uniquely American --equal protection under the law, justice for all citizens in equal measure, equal opportunity, and true Liberty - the right to personal and individual autonomy. "
Why isn't there more furor over this? By all accounts, this guy is slipping into the Supreme Court this Thursday with no significant protest. Please call your representative and tell them what you think about this and then watch their vote and hold them accountable.
With only 2 years experience on the bench, Roberts is not qualified to sit on the highest bench in the country, in the highest seat no less. He has also not been forthright in confirmation hearings, evading question after question. He is a crony appointment, like so many others by the Bush administration, to so much detriment. I think Liza says it best on behalf of feminist bloggers:
"The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court must be a seasoned judge with a record that can be openly and completely examined. The White House's refusal to release all documents pertaining to the nominee is further cause for extreme caution in this matter. Those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing. This choice will affect the lives of all Americans for decades to come. We must have transparency in the process, and it must be rigorous and thorough.
We oppose the nomination of John Roberts, and ask that our Congressional representatives stand firm in insisting that the people chosen to fill the two vacancies on the Supreme Court of the United States of America be people on whom we can rely to uphold the ideals that make us uniquely American --equal protection under the law, justice for all citizens in equal measure, equal opportunity, and true Liberty - the right to personal and individual autonomy. "
Why isn't there more furor over this? By all accounts, this guy is slipping into the Supreme Court this Thursday with no significant protest. Please call your representative and tell them what you think about this and then watch their vote and hold them accountable.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
I've been posting a lot more about life than art these days; it's great to have an outlet for my opinion as well as my art practice. Because my art is inspired by the world--current events, politics, and history--connecting my source material to my artwork directly enriches the viewing.
In my research at Cornell this week I was put on the trail of payola in the wake of Eliot Spitzer's investigation and successful settlement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment for illegally bribing radio stations--with prizes, travel, and cash--to play specific songs to boost their ratings on the charts. While payola has a long history in the music industry, similar practices exist in other industries in which producers pay distributors for placement or prominent display. Commonly cited examples include shelving fees in markets, marketing payments for officially recommended funds in mutual fund "supermarkets" (if the fund will not pay the supermarket for placement, then the transaction fee is passed on to the consumer), and featured sites and preferential listing on internet search engines.
Though corporations have used these practices illegally, they are generally legal if the sponsorship is identified to the consumer (in the case of radio and search engines), or the corporations practice of paying or requiring payment for placement is public knowledge (in the case of mutual funds and shelving fees).
Whether legal or not, the possibility of manipulating the market and misleading the consumer certainly exists in all of these cases. For example, when Sony BMG paid for advertising spots which identified the song as "brought to you by Sony BMG" it was legal. However, the monitoring agency which determines the Billboard Top 10 List couldn't differentiate the paid advertisement from regular radio play and so "Don't Tell Me" by Avril Lavigne vaulted up the charts after being played 109 times in one week, on one station alone, as an advertisement.
Sony BMG has acknowledged legal wrong doing and apologized but laws are broken by corporations all the time and currently as long as they are contributing to the Republican party, they are getting away with it.
The lobbying industry practices similar feints to exchange money for influence. A lobbyist (in a similar role to the "independent promoter" in radio) is being paid to fill the ear of a lawmaker with chatter from the special interests, and has already paid for the priveledge of access to that ear.
Perfect examples of illegal lobbying are the scandals involving Tom DeLay: over $230,000 in plush golf trips to American Saipan, Scotland, England and Russia, a bunch of illegal contributions with promises of specific legislation in return. Beyond all this illegal income, funneled through his PAC, there were also crony payments of $500,000 to his wife and kids.
The laws regulating lobbying are not effective in addressing the real problems; reforms focus on financial reporting and banning government officials from working as lobbyists after leaving office but the current crisis is that industry interests, including lobbyists, are being appointed to run the agencies which are supposed to regulate their former industries. The corruption is so widespread in the current administration with industry insiders posing as public servants that they are rolling back laws regulating the environment and ensuring safety standards. The goverment has been slowly starved so that the resources don't even exist to enforce the laws that are on the books.
Dave forwarded the link to an excellent speech by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. which I will excerpt with the encouragement to read the entire speech .
"In 100 percent of the situations, good environmental policy is identical to good economic policy. If we want to measure our economy, and this is how we ought to be measuring it, based upon its jobs and the dignity of jobs over the generations, over the long term and how it preserves the value of the assets of our communities.
If on the other hand, we want to do what they've been urging us to do on Capitol Hill, which is to treat the planet as if were a business in liquidation, convert our natural resource to cash as quickly as possible, have a few years of pollution-based prosperity, we can generate an instantaneous cash flow and the illusion of a prosperous economy, but our children are going to pay for our joyride. They're going to pay for it with the muted landscapes, poor health, huge cleanup costs that are going to amplify over time and that they will never, ever be able to pay. Environmental injury is deficit spending. It's a way of loading the cost of our generation's prosperity onto the backs of our children."
It's great speech, I highly recommend taking the time to read the whole thing (it is quite long). In another part of the speech, Mr. Kennedy makes the point that corporations are legally required to be amoral, they cannot be altruistic, they are required by law to extract profit for their shareholders.
Right now, corporations are running our democracy into the ground, and Mr. Kennedy points out that the confluence of government and corporatism is fascism. Fascism is what we have now and there is an urgent need to restore our democracy; change direction before it's too late.
A friend of mine has had a vivid dream of nuclear apocalypse and truly believes it to be in our future. The logical conclusion of our current policies do point towards a terrifying world, rising global temperatures, rising sea levels, (as one person put it the Katrinafication of America's large cities), increasing global violence and state conflict, increasing capacity for nuclear destruction, loss of natural resources, diseases morphing into global epidemics, peak oil and the end of the supply of cheap energy that Western society is based on.
My optimism is rooted in human beings' ability to recognize problems and CHANGE. There are a lot of smart people offering suggestions, solutions, and we desperately need to listen to them and change our culture, our consumption, and our passivity. Stirling Newberry wrote an inspiring account of the problems we face, and he also sketched out some solutions:
"The core is that we face the end of extraction. The extractive economy rewards people for finding things to extract, and extracting them. This is called "property". This model is so pervasive that we even turn cultural goods into an extractive model. Our entire financial system looks at everything as an oil well that will run out one day.
To change this requires changing how we see ourselves. Instead of being miners extracting value from society and the world, we have to be builders, designers and doers The progressive answer to these challenges is to create the infinite economy."
If we are to meet the challenges of this century, we must start by restoring democracy to this country. We need to be active citizens, raising each of our voices and creating CHANGE together.
In my research at Cornell this week I was put on the trail of payola in the wake of Eliot Spitzer's investigation and successful settlement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment for illegally bribing radio stations--with prizes, travel, and cash--to play specific songs to boost their ratings on the charts. While payola has a long history in the music industry, similar practices exist in other industries in which producers pay distributors for placement or prominent display. Commonly cited examples include shelving fees in markets, marketing payments for officially recommended funds in mutual fund "supermarkets" (if the fund will not pay the supermarket for placement, then the transaction fee is passed on to the consumer), and featured sites and preferential listing on internet search engines.
Though corporations have used these practices illegally, they are generally legal if the sponsorship is identified to the consumer (in the case of radio and search engines), or the corporations practice of paying or requiring payment for placement is public knowledge (in the case of mutual funds and shelving fees).
Whether legal or not, the possibility of manipulating the market and misleading the consumer certainly exists in all of these cases. For example, when Sony BMG paid for advertising spots which identified the song as "brought to you by Sony BMG" it was legal. However, the monitoring agency which determines the Billboard Top 10 List couldn't differentiate the paid advertisement from regular radio play and so "Don't Tell Me" by Avril Lavigne vaulted up the charts after being played 109 times in one week, on one station alone, as an advertisement.
Sony BMG has acknowledged legal wrong doing and apologized but laws are broken by corporations all the time and currently as long as they are contributing to the Republican party, they are getting away with it.
The lobbying industry practices similar feints to exchange money for influence. A lobbyist (in a similar role to the "independent promoter" in radio) is being paid to fill the ear of a lawmaker with chatter from the special interests, and has already paid for the priveledge of access to that ear.
Perfect examples of illegal lobbying are the scandals involving Tom DeLay: over $230,000 in plush golf trips to American Saipan, Scotland, England and Russia, a bunch of illegal contributions with promises of specific legislation in return. Beyond all this illegal income, funneled through his PAC, there were also crony payments of $500,000 to his wife and kids.
The laws regulating lobbying are not effective in addressing the real problems; reforms focus on financial reporting and banning government officials from working as lobbyists after leaving office but the current crisis is that industry interests, including lobbyists, are being appointed to run the agencies which are supposed to regulate their former industries. The corruption is so widespread in the current administration with industry insiders posing as public servants that they are rolling back laws regulating the environment and ensuring safety standards. The goverment has been slowly starved so that the resources don't even exist to enforce the laws that are on the books.
Dave forwarded the link to an excellent speech by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. which I will excerpt with the encouragement to read the entire speech .
"In 100 percent of the situations, good environmental policy is identical to good economic policy. If we want to measure our economy, and this is how we ought to be measuring it, based upon its jobs and the dignity of jobs over the generations, over the long term and how it preserves the value of the assets of our communities.
If on the other hand, we want to do what they've been urging us to do on Capitol Hill, which is to treat the planet as if were a business in liquidation, convert our natural resource to cash as quickly as possible, have a few years of pollution-based prosperity, we can generate an instantaneous cash flow and the illusion of a prosperous economy, but our children are going to pay for our joyride. They're going to pay for it with the muted landscapes, poor health, huge cleanup costs that are going to amplify over time and that they will never, ever be able to pay. Environmental injury is deficit spending. It's a way of loading the cost of our generation's prosperity onto the backs of our children."
It's great speech, I highly recommend taking the time to read the whole thing (it is quite long). In another part of the speech, Mr. Kennedy makes the point that corporations are legally required to be amoral, they cannot be altruistic, they are required by law to extract profit for their shareholders.
Right now, corporations are running our democracy into the ground, and Mr. Kennedy points out that the confluence of government and corporatism is fascism. Fascism is what we have now and there is an urgent need to restore our democracy; change direction before it's too late.
A friend of mine has had a vivid dream of nuclear apocalypse and truly believes it to be in our future. The logical conclusion of our current policies do point towards a terrifying world, rising global temperatures, rising sea levels, (as one person put it the Katrinafication of America's large cities), increasing global violence and state conflict, increasing capacity for nuclear destruction, loss of natural resources, diseases morphing into global epidemics, peak oil and the end of the supply of cheap energy that Western society is based on.
My optimism is rooted in human beings' ability to recognize problems and CHANGE. There are a lot of smart people offering suggestions, solutions, and we desperately need to listen to them and change our culture, our consumption, and our passivity. Stirling Newberry wrote an inspiring account of the problems we face, and he also sketched out some solutions:
"The core is that we face the end of extraction. The extractive economy rewards people for finding things to extract, and extracting them. This is called "property". This model is so pervasive that we even turn cultural goods into an extractive model. Our entire financial system looks at everything as an oil well that will run out one day.
To change this requires changing how we see ourselves. Instead of being miners extracting value from society and the world, we have to be builders, designers and doers The progressive answer to these challenges is to create the infinite economy."
If we are to meet the challenges of this century, we must start by restoring democracy to this country. We need to be active citizens, raising each of our voices and creating CHANGE together.
Monday, September 19, 2005
This is what I'm working on now; I need a fan cover to complete the piece.
Wouldn'cha know it, I saw the perfect piece about a month ago, before starting this, and tried to pick it up but I didn't have the right tools with me to pry it loose. Of course now that I'm looking for a fan I haven't seen any. Everyone has already chucked their fans at the end of the summer so I may have to go further afield if Dave or JP doesn't come through...
Saturday, September 10, 2005
This was was the opening of the art season in New York, which means zillions of exhibition openings all over the city. I am usually too busy with Open Ground at this time of year to go up to Chelsea and even around Wburg, but this year is different.
I went to Chelsea on Thursday to see Adam Cvijanovic at Bellwether, and a few others. I really love Adam's painting style, I've always felt that he's the best artist in the gallery. Visiting his studio last fall confirmed my admiration, providing insight into his process and how the paintings are made. I started to think about his subject matter in relation to his material and was impressed to discover a very rich relationship.
Adam paints on Tyvek, the material used for FedEx envelopes and construction. It's incredibly strong, light and flexible, and is somehow permeable to moisture but not air. He has developed a specific acrylic paint blend to match tyvek's flexibility and is able to treat the paintings themselves with some abandon, throwing them on the floor, pinning them up with pushpins, rolling them up and generally abusing them to a certain extent. Whe they are installed they are smoothly adhered to the wall using wallpaper paste. When the show is over, he sponges the front of the painting and the moisture travels through the tyvek to dampen the wallpaper paste and remove the panel. It's an ingenious way for the paintings to become part of the architecture yet remaining works of art that can be easily reinstalled and sold.
His subject matter has included icebergs, a summer beach scene with crowds of people, and the littered woods near suburban housing. His new show is called "Love Poem (Ten Minutes After the End of Gravity)" and it depicts SoCal houses, palm trees, cars, and other suburban stuff falling apart and floating away into the sky after the force of gravity mysteriously disapears. This is especially poignant in this moment of disaster on the Gulf coast, but Adam told me he has been working on this mural for the last year.
Adam's paintings dipict moments of impermanence: the icebergs are melting, the woods are being used up, the people will leave the beach and it will become cold. The world is a fragile place that we impact with every scrap of trash; everything we touch is processed, packaged, and shipped around the world, and we must imagine the carbon fuel burnt in our name even if we never set foot in a car. Our civilization is based on the abundance of nature, we rely on grand forces we cannot control. If the forces we depend on were suddenly to change we would be hard pressed to adapt.
Yet his paintings tell us we must. While their subject matter is, in a way, ephemeral, the physical paintings are durable and may last millenia. They are flexible, they can exist anywhere, adapt to any surface. The paintings are a reaction to the fleeting scenes they depict, they embody a lesson.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
I was just reading Daily Kos and found a posting with Charmaine Neville's account of her experience in the days after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. She spent harrowing days with no help and summoned pure courage to save herself and more than 20 of her neighbors and friends.
The media is beginning to be locked out of New Orleans, the people in charge don't want us to see the carnage and death, but there are 200,000 stories out there and they can't be contained.
The media is beginning to be locked out of New Orleans, the people in charge don't want us to see the carnage and death, but there are 200,000 stories out there and they can't be contained.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
The "Blame Game" could work for some but we can read the United States National Response Plan to find out where the ultimate responsibility lies.
For a concise explication please see georgia10's comments on Daily Kos.
For a concise explication please see georgia10's comments on Daily Kos.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
This week has been heart wrenching, no one deserves to suffer like the people who are stuck in New Orleans, and all Americans deserve a government that takes responsibility for everyone's welfare and the infrastructure of our country.
As one of many New Yorkers who experienced the bombings on September 11th, I know with certainty that what is happening is New Orleans is 100 times worse. And it's extremely upsetting because the government's response has been so blind to the inequities of class and race. Almost 30% of the people of New Orleans live below the poverty line, more than half do not own cars and 2/3 are black. There are over a hundred thousand people who had no way to escape, and I think they have a right to stay alive, to protect their children by any means necessary.
I have "zero tolerance" for the administration's insensitivity and the Governor's statement that National Guardsmen will "shoot to kill" those found looting. How about a real "culture of life?" I think Kanye West was absolutely correct when he said on NBC that Bush doesn't care about black people.
I am still hoping to hear that my friend Ammi and Patrick's Great-Aunt Caroline have left New Orleans and are safe, and my heart goes out to the thousands of people who I know are still suffering there. I'm including below a recent email forwarded from a friend with a first person account of what is going on.
I will be helping the best I can, from making a donation to Habitat for Humanity when my unemployment check comes, to possibly housing some friends of my roommates who luckily have a car and are traveling north. I know everyone will do what they can; please think about raising your voice to unseat those with responsibility for this disaster.
Email Forwarded by Colby Hamilton from his friend Lynne, N.O. native and resident:
"Right now, I have several friends that are missing or trapped in New
Orleans.
My friend, Adam Wilson, a fellow Louisiana Green, is currently holed
up in the American Can Building with another Green, Christina Kucera (of Planned Parenthood Louisiana), her partner, Jordan Flaherty of New Orleans Palestinian Solidarity and 2 other friends.
My other friend, & registered Green, RR Bill Crescenzo, and his
immediate neighbor, Charmaine Neville (sister of the Neville Bros.) have not been heard from and we know they stayed. We also know that when they dynamited the levee by the Industrial Canal in the 9th Ward, they used too much dynamite and subsequently flooded the corridor of St. Claude Ave. in the Bywater neighborhood which Bill and Charmaine and a Green Party member, Andrea Garland lives.
Andrea has learned that her house is seriously flooded. This was where we were putting our Green Party Office. Means nothing now but we had a lot of projects we were working on and this is the other side of our loss as well. She evacuated to the Waco Peace House with her husband and cats and she is currently trying to get a bus full of supplies put together and will be driving back to as close as she can get into New Orleans with some members of Veterans for Peace.
I am terribly worried about RR Bill and Charmaine so if anyone knows anything, please contact us. Bill is on medication and I know he will not leave his dog behind at all.
I have a friend, Karim, holed up with 4 others in the Cafe Roma on Magazine St. Their situation is getting dire. They have barricaded themselves in. They have a land line and can receive incoming calls only. She can see outside on their block several dead bodies in the street. They have food, no water but soft drinks and a bar, they have cash from the register. There were 2 attempts by armed thugs to break into the restaurant which they managed to hold off but shots were fired. They are desperate to get out and need to know where to go. They are afraid of leaving this "safe" spot until they know the route they are on will get them out. If anyone can confirm for us whether or not the Crescent City Connection Bridge to the Westbank is open-can they make it towards there and walk across? What is the road open out of the city--I-10 West?
Another friend, Mike, active in the anti-war movement is low on water and in the French Quarter. He says that the Quarter is safer than most places and he has not left there. He said that today he witnessed hordes of people walk down N. Rampart St towards the Superdome in hopes of being evacuated or trying to find food. He says that there is no food. All of the supermarkets are now empty and unfortunately, unless they get some aid in, he suspects that individual homes will be targeted next as people are starving. Literally starving.
He also has witnessed many instances of the police looting in the stores and then leaving them open to be finished off. The looting is almost entirely for food and the national media is apparently trying to make it seem otherwise. He said looting is occurring in all of the parishes, not just Orleans and the looters are racially mixed-just like the neighborhoods that they are looting in and it's mostly food stores and supplies like diapers and so forth that is being targeted. He says he has experienced no tension amongst the fellow refugees. He says there is tension towards the authorities and that the police are upset as well that there is no food. He wants people to please start calling the media, the govt., whoever and demand that they drop water and food to them. They are very desperate. It's Friday and no one has received anything."
Kevin Drum's chronology of Bush Administration policies which affected the disaster (from The Washington Monthly) is very informative.
Many people, Sidney Blumenthal among them, have affirmed that no one can say they didn't see it coming .
"In 2001, FEMA warned that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S. But the Bush administration cut New Orleans flood control funding by 44 percent to pay for the Iraq war."
And from Newsdissector comes an informative and infuriating discussion on the history of New Orleans, race, Global Warming, preparations, and insensitivity.
"Twice recently, I've mentioned the experience of Cuba in dealing with hurricane Ivan(which was a Category 5 when it hit Cuba) -- 1.3 million people, more than 10% of the population, evacuated under the direction and with transportation provided by the government, not a single person dead, compared to 18 killed in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and 70 more in the Caribbean." (from
As one of many New Yorkers who experienced the bombings on September 11th, I know with certainty that what is happening is New Orleans is 100 times worse. And it's extremely upsetting because the government's response has been so blind to the inequities of class and race. Almost 30% of the people of New Orleans live below the poverty line, more than half do not own cars and 2/3 are black. There are over a hundred thousand people who had no way to escape, and I think they have a right to stay alive, to protect their children by any means necessary.
I have "zero tolerance" for the administration's insensitivity and the Governor's statement that National Guardsmen will "shoot to kill" those found looting. How about a real "culture of life?" I think Kanye West was absolutely correct when he said on NBC that Bush doesn't care about black people.
I am still hoping to hear that my friend Ammi and Patrick's Great-Aunt Caroline have left New Orleans and are safe, and my heart goes out to the thousands of people who I know are still suffering there. I'm including below a recent email forwarded from a friend with a first person account of what is going on.
I will be helping the best I can, from making a donation to Habitat for Humanity when my unemployment check comes, to possibly housing some friends of my roommates who luckily have a car and are traveling north. I know everyone will do what they can; please think about raising your voice to unseat those with responsibility for this disaster.
Email Forwarded by Colby Hamilton from his friend Lynne, N.O. native and resident:
"Right now, I have several friends that are missing or trapped in New
Orleans.
My friend, Adam Wilson, a fellow Louisiana Green, is currently holed
up in the American Can Building with another Green, Christina Kucera (of Planned Parenthood Louisiana), her partner, Jordan Flaherty of New Orleans Palestinian Solidarity and 2 other friends.
My other friend, & registered Green, RR Bill Crescenzo, and his
immediate neighbor, Charmaine Neville (sister of the Neville Bros.) have not been heard from and we know they stayed. We also know that when they dynamited the levee by the Industrial Canal in the 9th Ward, they used too much dynamite and subsequently flooded the corridor of St. Claude Ave. in the Bywater neighborhood which Bill and Charmaine and a Green Party member, Andrea Garland lives.
Andrea has learned that her house is seriously flooded. This was where we were putting our Green Party Office. Means nothing now but we had a lot of projects we were working on and this is the other side of our loss as well. She evacuated to the Waco Peace House with her husband and cats and she is currently trying to get a bus full of supplies put together and will be driving back to as close as she can get into New Orleans with some members of Veterans for Peace.
I am terribly worried about RR Bill and Charmaine so if anyone knows anything, please contact us. Bill is on medication and I know he will not leave his dog behind at all.
I have a friend, Karim, holed up with 4 others in the Cafe Roma on Magazine St. Their situation is getting dire. They have barricaded themselves in. They have a land line and can receive incoming calls only. She can see outside on their block several dead bodies in the street. They have food, no water but soft drinks and a bar, they have cash from the register. There were 2 attempts by armed thugs to break into the restaurant which they managed to hold off but shots were fired. They are desperate to get out and need to know where to go. They are afraid of leaving this "safe" spot until they know the route they are on will get them out. If anyone can confirm for us whether or not the Crescent City Connection Bridge to the Westbank is open-can they make it towards there and walk across? What is the road open out of the city--I-10 West?
Another friend, Mike, active in the anti-war movement is low on water and in the French Quarter. He says that the Quarter is safer than most places and he has not left there. He said that today he witnessed hordes of people walk down N. Rampart St towards the Superdome in hopes of being evacuated or trying to find food. He says that there is no food. All of the supermarkets are now empty and unfortunately, unless they get some aid in, he suspects that individual homes will be targeted next as people are starving. Literally starving.
He also has witnessed many instances of the police looting in the stores and then leaving them open to be finished off. The looting is almost entirely for food and the national media is apparently trying to make it seem otherwise. He said looting is occurring in all of the parishes, not just Orleans and the looters are racially mixed-just like the neighborhoods that they are looting in and it's mostly food stores and supplies like diapers and so forth that is being targeted. He says he has experienced no tension amongst the fellow refugees. He says there is tension towards the authorities and that the police are upset as well that there is no food. He wants people to please start calling the media, the govt., whoever and demand that they drop water and food to them. They are very desperate. It's Friday and no one has received anything."
Kevin Drum's chronology of Bush Administration policies which affected the disaster (from The Washington Monthly) is very informative.
Many people, Sidney Blumenthal among them, have affirmed that no one can say they didn't see it coming .
"In 2001, FEMA warned that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S. But the Bush administration cut New Orleans flood control funding by 44 percent to pay for the Iraq war."
And from Newsdissector comes an informative and infuriating discussion on the history of New Orleans, race, Global Warming, preparations, and insensitivity.
"Twice recently, I've mentioned the experience of Cuba in dealing with hurricane Ivan(which was a Category 5 when it hit Cuba) -- 1.3 million people, more than 10% of the population, evacuated under the direction and with transportation provided by the government, not a single person dead, compared to 18 killed in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and 70 more in the Caribbean." (from
Friday, September 02, 2005
This is my newest.
My 3 1/2 year old niece, Stephany, helped me collect the materials when I was in California. The piece is about nature being burned by the industry of our current energy requirements.
A few more days in the studio since coming back from California and here's my newest. The main beam, the pinecones, the feathers, and the plastic horse were skillfully collected by my niece at "Blue Park" in San Leandro, CA. At three and a half years old she loves collecting sticks and natural debris making her the perfect assistant. The punctured bark came from the Tuckers in Vermont and the plastic cars and rusted electrical conduit were excavated in Brooklyn.
Archives
July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 December 2005 January 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 January 2007 February 2007 May 2007
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]